Revealing Strength in Weakness - sermon for 23 February

Leviticus 19: 1-2, 9-18

Matthew 5: 39-48

“You have heard it said.... but now I say to you...”

Yes, more of these hard sayings this week; and this is the last week of Epiphany; the final in the series of Revelations, as once again Jesus moves deeper into sayings that are well known, and generally well understood.

And, in the Old Testament, from Leviticus an appeal for justice

For just law

For just and equal treatment

An appeal which is as relevant today as it was all those thousands of years ago

Some might say we should be looking after number one; making sure you and yours are cared for; that we should be storing up and battening down for the bad days ahead – regardless of others.

Each man or woman for themselves

But, I say, Jesus says, the Law says, lookout for those who are less able

Care for those who have less than you

Love others as you love yourself

Here is a list of sayings:

Love your neighbour

Do not take revenge

Do not show favouritism

Do not take advantage

Don’t take in your whole crop: leave some for the poor and foreigners.

Just because someone is deaf – do not speak badly. Others will hear you.

Just because someone is blind – do not impede them. Others will see.

Do not lie. If speaking out will help: do it!

If I were to ask you who said this, you would most likely answer that these are sayings of Jesus; and you’d be right, but, they are also sayings written down in the Law, and recorded in Leviticus: in fact they all come for this morning’ reading.

Remember how Jesus said he came not to abolish the Law but to fulfil it?

Well, if ever you needed proof, here it is.

Jesus was taking the Law, well known by all at that time, and he was expanding it, developing it, encouraging the disciples, and all who were looking to follow his teaching, to gain a better understanding of what it really means to live a godly life.

Jesus exhortations reflect absolutely the words in Leviticus: don’t take revenge

Don’t retaliate

Don’t hold back

Accept that the sun shines on everyone: good or bad

Good stuff happens to bad people

Bad stuff happens to good

It is just the way things are

And then, further:

Being nice to those who are nice to you, those who you already like is easy

Where’s the difficulty in that?

Even the godless of the world can manage that

But being nice to enemies

To those who are difficult

To those who make it clear they don’t like you – that’s hard

That’s what being Christlike is all about

That’s what living a godly life really means

To go the extra mile

To love generously

See the glass half full

See the best in people

You must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect... well what does that mean?

The Greek word in the text is translated as perfect... but, it might be easier to understand if we think of it as meaning to be complete, to be whole... to be the best we can.

Willie Barclay uses a profoundly simple analogy to understand this sort of perfection:

“You have a piece of furniture with a loose screw, so you want to tighten it up, make it right. In order to do this you need a screw driver that is the right size and weight for your hand; that screw driver also needs to be the right size to fit the screw; this will enable you to tighten the screw, fix the joint and make the furniture fit for purpose.   In the Greek sense, the screwdriver is telios because it has fulfilled the purpose for which it was wanted. Thus a man will also be telios if he fulfils the purpose for which he was created.”

So when Jesus exhorts the disciples to be perfect; he is simply calling each one of us to be fit for purpose

To fulfil our potential

To be the best that we can be

To reflect God – to show the image of God to others.

And as we live, fulfilling that list.

Being nice to enemies

To those who are difficult

To those who make it clear they don’t like you – may be hard; may even feel counter intuitive, but that’s what being Christlike is all about

That’s what living a godly life really means

To go the extra mile

To love generously

See the glass half full

See the best in people

To behave in a way which may seem weak or ineffectual by the world’s standards, but is really strong and powerful in God’s world.

When the law in Leviticus says, love you neighbour; care for the poor; do not take revenge; do not show favouritism; do not take advantage, these may seem weak actions, not strong.

When Jesus says, do not take revenge; go the extra mile; love your enemies; pray for your persecutors; you must be perfect – well that seems almost impossible.

But then, that is the beauty of faith

That is its strength and its deep, deep mystery

Without faith, it is impossible

But with faith, bit by bit, step by step, our weakness can become strength.

And we can become perfect: not totally flawless – no! That is not what God asks: but to be fit for purpose

To make a difference in the world

To love where others feel unloved

To speak out when other feel dumb

To let God reveal that in the weakness of the world lies heavenly strength.